When violence begets violence…
Should we be surprised?
When the deadbeat cop
Who harasses black drivers…
and profiles young boys.
Who aggressively apprehends peaceful protesters
Turns around and beats his wife…
leaving her at the brink of death
Should we be surprised?
When the healthcare executive
Who strategically decides who gets treatment and who doesn’t
Who routinely places shareholder value over people
Who inflates the price of lifesaving drugs…
and denies insurance claims for the love of the game
When he is himself shot on the streets
Should we be surprised?
When the imperialist country
Who exports violence all around the globe
Who uses economic threats and military hard power…
to bully its way throughout the world
Who reaps benefits at the expense of foreign life
Who funds genocides and bears no consequences
When the politicians turn around and use those same policies domestically…
Should we be surprised?
When the political commentator
Who uses dogwhistles and pejoratives
Who engages in bad faith conversation…
And employs skewed statistics
Who builds an entire brand off of hate and vile language
When he is himself shot whilst doing what he does best
Should we be surprised?
